Real World
by Prone To Obsession
Summary: Life for Katrick after high school, with all the twists and turns that come from living in the "real world".  Rating changed from K  to T, just to be safe, but it's a very mild T.
1. This Ain't Goodbye

**Author's Note: SO. I've been away from this fandom for a while, but thought I'd give it another go. This is just a teaser chapter, really. Kind of me, getting back into the characters. The real plot will begin in the next chapter. Anyway, hopefully you all like it. If you read, whether you liked it or not, please take the time to give a quick note letting me know your reasons why! And thanks to Doks for the initial inspiration for the story. If anyone has anything they'd like to see me write, don't hesitate to drop me a message! I love getting free ideas. :)**

**Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own anything. Sad, but true.**

By the end of Senior year, Kat & Patrick had broken up and gotten back together 3 times. The first was the infamous month in Junior Year where Kat had almost gone to Nepal just to escape the awkwardness. Then there was the summer break-up, which Kat did to appease her father, and which lasted all of 12 hours. Midway through Senior year, Kat had been the first to say "I love you", which freaked Patrick out enough to say "I think we should see other people" in reply. He took about a week to realize that other people suck and he only wanted to be with Kat. Since then, the two had been on pretty solid ground. Not that they didn't still fight constantly. But by the end of the summer after Graduation, they had learned to distinguish between a fight and a break up.

Kat was considering a fourth and final break-up the night before she left for Brown.

She had been packing all day, and her room felt foreign in its bareness. The posters that had littered the walls for the past two years, since they moved into the house, were either tossed out or rolled up waiting to take the trip with her. Her stacks of books were packed in now impossibly heavy cardboard boxes. She was just taking down all the photos that lined her mirror, which was what brought her to think about Patrick (because, naturally, almost all of the pictures featured Patrick, or were taken by Patrick, or were of something that reminded her of Patrick...).

He had been acting strangely for the past few weeks. Or, more accurately, she didn't know how he had been acting for the past few weeks, since she barely saw him. She was trying to give him space; she knew he didn't deal with change well, and especially so when change meant someone leaving. And besides, he had finished up the last of his vo-tech credits over the summer (thanks to the school's vocational program, he was now a licensed mechanic), so he was probably busy looking for a job. But they hadn't even talked about what it would be like to try a long-distance relationship. She was worried that it might be smarter to just end things now, rather than dragging it out over several long and uncomfortable months.

"Kat?" She was brought out of her thoughts by Bianca's timid voice calling from behind her closed door. "Can I come in?" Bianca had been tip-toeing around her sister lately, as if she were afraid to get in any fights before Kat left.

"Yeah, come on in," Kat replied. Bianca shuffled into the room, clad in a pink robe over her plaid pajamas.

"Wow, your room looks so...sad," Bianca said. Kat remained silent. "So..." Bianca continued, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could, "Are you excited? You're finally getting away from Dad's insanity."

Kat smiled. "You know, I think I might actually miss his insanity...and yours too."

Bianca laughed, but then let the room fall silent as the two sisters sad on Kat's bed. Both knew that things were changing, and things may never be the same again. It was a heavy feeling.

Just then, Kat's window swung open and the two looked around to see Patrick, his eyes dark and his face even more solemn than usual. "Well..." Bianca said, "I should let you finish...packing. Have fun!" she left the couple alone, quietly closing the door behind her and heading downstairs to make sure her dad didn't get in the way of whatever may or may not happen next.

Kat remained on her bed, shocked to see Patrick. He hadn't showed up at her bedroom window in weeks (though for months before that, he had made it an almost nightly routine), and she wasn't sure what to think about him showing up now. He didn't wait for an invitation before he climbed through and joined her on the bed, a surprisingly chaste distance apart. For a long moment, neither one said anything.

At last, Kat broke the silence. "Hey, stranger," she said. Or, tried to say. It came out as a sort of throaty whisper.

"Hey," Patrick replied.

"So..." Kat tried again, "You managed to get out of helping me pack."

"I've been busy."

Kat could feel her rage beginning to bubble up. She stood up and looked down at where Patrick sat on the bed._"You've _been busy? _I'm_ the one who's moving across the country tomorrow! _I'm_ the one who's starting classes in a week!" She could feel a lump forming in her throat, and she fought hard to keep her eyes from welling up, "_I'm _the one who's leaving all her friends, and her family, and her boyfriend..." her voice trailed off, all her anger fizzling out with nowhere to go.

"You don't have to," Patrick said, matter-of-factly.

Kat shook her head, "Of course I have to, Patrick. Going to Brown has been my dream since...since when most kids dreamed about being astronauts! I'm going to Brown, and that means leaving..." again, she left her sentence unfinished, this time stopped by that stupid lump in her throat.

"No," Patrick said, standing up and stepping towards her. "That doesn't mean leaving me behind..." he hesitated as he let the impact of his words sink in. "I mean," he added, "not if you don't want to." She looked at him, speechless, not sure she was hearing him right. He continued, "Kat, you know...how I feel about you. And you should know by now that there's nothing keeping me here. At least, there won't be once you leave. I don't know about you, but I don't want to do the long-distance thing. So, if you want me to, I want to come."

Kat shook her head in disbelief. "Are you serious?" She loved that he was offering her this, but at the same time, the little voice of reason inside her said that it was a crazy idea. "I mean, I've got student housing. You can't stay with me. Where are you going to stay? What are you going to do for money? What about your mom? Would you come now? What about your stuff? And what if you get there and decide you hate it? And what if-" she was cut off by Patrick's lips pressing against hers.

When they breathlessly pulled apart, Patrick kept his lips close to hers, and whispered against her skin, "You talk a lot."

**End Note: There you go, I hope you like it! Next chapter will be up soon-ish...the more reviews I get the more motivated I am to write!**


	2. Unwell

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews thus far! Let me know if the characters are a little off; like I said, it's been a while since I've written Kat or Patrick. Um...I think I promised plot in this chapter. And I intended to write some angst or drama. But...Kat and Patrick seemed to have other ideas. There will be drama coming soon though!**

**Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own anything. Sad, but true.**

Life was falling into a steady routine. Kat loved her classes; the work was challenging but not too far out of her depth. It was comfortable. Patrick had found a job pretty quickly and was living in an old but well-kept little studio apartment in town, which he loved. The campus rules said Kat had to live on campus her first year, which was fine, since neither of them really felt ready for cohabitation. On the weekends, though, when she wasn't busy studying, she usually headed to Patrick's for a movie (or other things). They were both reveling in their newfound freedom.

"Do you mind?" Kat asked harshly. It was a Wednesday evening, and they were in her dorm room. Kat's books were spread out all over the bed, with her in the middle of them, and Patrick was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the bed, with Kat's computer. "I need my laptop to write a paper..you can catch up on _Gossip Girl_ later," she added, her voice now gently teasing.

Patrick sneered at the idea of watching such an insipid show, but admitted he _was _only watching videos; nothing important. "Not having cable sucks," he said, handing the computer to Kat over his shoulder.

"You could try reading," she suggested.

"I think we both know that's not going to happen."

"Come on. You liked _Slaughterhouse 5_, right? You could...you could...try..." her voice trailed off, and Patrick turned around to look at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He had seen that look before. Not often, he thought. But he definitely remembered that look. It was the look she got on their first date...just before she yakked all over. Before she even answered him, he handed her the trash can that sat by her nightstand. Grateful, she grabbed it from him just in time.

Patrick shook his head. "You see what happens when you work so hard? Look at me, I never get sick. And do you know why?"

"Shut up," Kat said, her head still hung over the waste basket. "I hate you."

Patrick smiled and moved a few books so he could sit next to Kat. He put his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair gently. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"But my paper..." she protested feebly.

"Will be there in the morning," he finished her sentence for her as he gathered up the remaining textbooks and dropped them on the floor, then took the trashcan from Kat and moved it to the side. He would clean it up as soon as he got Kat to bed. She crawled under the covers, still fully clothed, and asked for some water. Patrick ran to the bathroom to grab a glass for her. While he was in there, he could hear her grabbing the trashcan again and repeating her earlier digestive pyrotechnics. He shook his head in sympathy. Most college kids puked their guts out because they were partying hard. Kat was just working herself too hard and not sleeping enough, he thought. She was bound to get sick eventually.

"Here," he said, handing Kat the water (while standing a reasonable distance away, she noted).

"Thanks," she said, and greedily gulped th glass down. She took a few deep breaths, and nodded her head. "I think I'm feeling a little better," she said.

"Good. Now, get some sleep, and you'll really feel better in the morning."

"Sure, sure," she said, waving a hand, "But you don't have to stay with me. I mean, I'll be fine."

Patrick grinned. He knew what she was trying to pull. And he was one step ahead of her. "Oh, yeah, of course. I'm gonna go home and let you rest. And to make sure you _do_ rest..." he said, unplugging her laptop and tucking it under arm, "I'm sure you won't mind if I take this with me." He was out the door before Kat could protest, but he could almost _hear_ her indignation as he closed the door behind him. He just laughed. _Finally, _ he thought, _a chance to catch up on all the shows I've missed!_

**Endnote: Sorry, it's kind of short, I know. But I figured the quick update would make up for that, right?**


	3. Wondering

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry to everyone who has taken the time to read this or review or alert or ANYTHING! I don't deserve such wonderful readers as you. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post the next chapter. I promise I will do my best to get the next update up a lot sooner! I hope it was worth the wait...**

The next day, on his lunch break, Patrick came by to return Kat's laptop and to check and see how she was feeling. He was met at the door by Kat's room-mate, Samantha. "Hey Sam," he said, "Just dropping this by for Kat. She around?" Sam was standing in the doorway, blocking Patrick from entering. He peered over the top of her head, trying to see if Kat was in her room.

"No," Sam said. "She ran into town for some errands after her morning classes."

"Oh," Patrick said, disappointed. "Well, do you know how she's feeling? She was throwing up last night while you were out."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I dunno. I guess she's feeling better. Well enough to go to classes."

Patrick rolled his eyes, "This is Kat," he said, "That's not saying much. She'd go to classes if she had the plague."

Sam laughed and shrugged, "Probably. I'll tell her you stopped by."

"Thanks," Patrick said. Glancing at his watch, he realized his lunch break was almost up, and waved a quick goodbye to Sam before jogging down the dorm stairs back to his motorcycle.

That evening, he texted Kat and asked if she wanted to come over. _Can't._ came her reply. _Busy._ He glared at the screen of his cell as he read the message.

_Maybe I can come keep you company? _He wrote back.

His phone beeped a few seconds later.

_Busy,_ she said. _As in, I have things to do_. Before he could reply, another text came in, adding, _Sorry. Another time?_

Patrick nearly growled. Since when did it bother her to have him around? He always hung out while she was busy studying or whatever she needed to do. He didn't like how vague she was being, and he didn't like her coldness, either. Had he pissed her off somehow? He couldn't think of anything, but then again, Kat sometimes got pissed off for reasons that were way beyond him. He wished he hadn't brought her laptop back that afternoon, so he'd have an excuse to go over there and see what was up. After five minutes of sitting on his couch trying not to think about it, he grabbed his jacket and headed out of his apartment.

After picking up some Chinese food, Patrick headed to Kat's dorm. He reached her door, and breezed in as casually as he could. "Hey," he said, "I know you're busy, but you still have to..." he paused as he saw Kat, and let the bag of food drop to the floor with a thud. "Eat," he finished quietly.

"Patrick!" Kat shouted, "What are you doing here? I told you not to come!"

"Is that..." he looked at the small, white stick she was holding. He swallowed hard.

Kat looked down at her hand. "A pregnancy test," she finished, still avoiding his gaze.

Patrick sat down on the end of Kat's bed, unable to speak. "What's it say?" He managed after a long silence.

"I haven't taken it yet," she said.

Patrick took a deep breath. He stared at Kat, and nodded towards the bathroom, as if saying, _Let's get it over with_.

Kat took a long look at Patrick, worry etched in her face, and nodded. She made her way to the bathroom and shut the door. A few minutes later, Patrick heard the toilet flush and Kat wash her hands. She stayed in the bathroom for a moment longer, and he realized that she wasn't going to come out until she got the results. His leg bounced up and down as he waited nervously on the edge of the bed.

After what seemed like an eternity, but which was actually no more than a minute or two, the bathroom door slowly opened. Kat came out and quickly threw her arms around Patrick, smiling. "Negative," she breathed. Patrick let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Thank God," he muttered. He loved Kat, but he knew that they were nowhere near ready for a baby. He didn't know if he ever wanted kids; he didn't know if Kat wanted kids either. They didn't really talk about that kind of thing. It was one of his favorite things about Kat.

As Kat pulled away, she was frowning. "I've been feeling so sick the last few nights," she said, "Not just last night. I didn't want to mention it, but it's been almost every night for the last week. And..." she let her voice trail off, deciding Patrick probably wouldn't want to hear about her late period. "If it's not this," she said, "Then, I don't know why I'm feeling so sick."

Patrick frowned, too. "Maybe you should see a doctor?"

Kat nodded reluctantly. "I guess," she said. Then she broke out in a grin, and Patrick couldn't help but follow suit; the tense air dissipated quickly, and a few moments later, Kat grabbed the forgotten Chinese food. "Come on," she said, "Let's eat."


	4. Expecting

**Author's Note: This was tougher than expected; I wanted to make sure I got this just right since this is a fairly important chapter. Hope I did okay! Bumped the rating up to a T, just to be safe, but it's a very mild T.**

A few days later, after classes, Kat was walking towards the university clinic when her phone rang. She groaned as she read the caller ID. "Hey Dad," she said as cheerily as possible.

"I'm not going to continue paying for your cell phone if I can never reach you on it."

"Or, hello, as some people would say." Kat rolled her eyes. She had been avoiding her dad's calls for the past week, when she had thought she was maybe pregnant. There was _no_ way she could have managed talking to him without him knowing-he had crazy psychic powers when it came to pregnancy.

"Hello, Katarina," Walter said, finally giving his oldest daughter a proper greeting. "How are things? I've been worried, you haven't been answering your phone."

"Yeah," she said. "Sorry. I've been kind of sick lately. I'm on my way to the doctor's right now."

Kat could just picture her dad as he listened, bolting upright in his easy chair, probably dropping the newspaper on the floor, his eyes wide with worry. "What's the matter?" He said. "What are your symptoms?"

"Dad," Kat huffed. "I said 'I'm on my way to the doctor', not 'Dad, I'm sick and I want you to be my doctor.'"

"Alright," Walter conceded at last, "But you'd better call me as soon as you find something out!"

"Fine, fine," Kat said impatiently, "I gotta go, I'm almost there." She snapped the phone shut and let out another exasperated sigh as she saw who was waiting for her outside the clinic. "I can do this by myself," she said, "I am not an infant!"

"Oh, I know," Patrick said with his trademark grin, "An infant pukes _way_ less than you."

"Shut up," she said, leading him inside by tugging on the front of his shirt.

* * *

Kat sat nervously in the small exam room, wearing nothing but a thin paper gown. The doctor had insisted on her giving a urine sample, despite Kat's protests that she was _not_ pregnant. The doctor said it was standard procedure. Now, she was just waiting for the doctor to come back in so they could get to the real stuff.

"OK," said Doctor Morris as she entered the room, at last. She was a slender woman with blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Cat-eyed glasses were perched on the end of her nose as she read from Kat's chart. She took a seat and set the file down on a nearby table. "Well," she said, "There's no doubt about it. You're pregnant."

"What." Kat said. It wasn't a question. More of a flat-toned statement of disbelief. "No," she said, a little bit higher-pitched now. "No, no no. I'm not pregnant. I took a test. I'm not pregnant."

"Home pregnancy tests aren't always 100% accurate, especially when you're early on," explained the doctor in a soothing, quiet voice.

"No," Kat insisted again, "I can't be. I'm...I'm a freshman in college. We're always super careful. I'm on the pill. My dad...my dad's a gynecologist. I learned how to put a condom on a banana before I was even in middle school."

Doctor Morris smiled a quiet smile. "And none of those things mean that you can't be pregnant. I should know, I checked the results myself. Twice. You are definitely pregnant."

Kat sat in a stunned stupor as the Doctor went through a few basic exams and talked Kat through a few things. Kat did her best to pay attention, but most of it was just white noise to her. Pregnant? "Patrick..." she said, when Dr. Morris stopped talking.

"Excuse me?"

"Patrick Verona. My boyfriend," Kat clarified, snapping to attention. "Can I see him?" The doctor gave her a sympathetic nod.

"Of course. Why don't you get dressed, and I'll have one of the nurses bring him back when you're ready."

* * *

After throwing on her clothes, Kat stood pacing the room nervously as she waited for the nurse to bring Patrick in. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, only that she needed him to know. She couldn't handle this on her own. Which had her very agitated, since she had never run into a situation before that she couldn't handle on her own. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock on the door and Patrick came in. He looked worried, as if he was expecting the worst. Kat laughed to herself; he was expecting something bad, but the reality was far worse.

"Kat?" he asked, seeing the look on her face. "What's wrong? They wouldn't tell me anything."

Kat ran a hand through her hair, trying to find the right words. She realized there was really no good way to tell your boyfriend that he knocked you up. Finally, she just blurted it out.

"I'm pregnant."

**End Note: Weird place to end it? Maybe, I can't decide. I kind of wanted to break it off here to sort of build up the suspense for Patrick's reaction in the next chapter. Haha. Reviews are loved, as always, and they definitely make me write faster.**


	5. We Are

**Author's Note: Anyone who is sticking with this is awesome. My readers are far more awesome than I deserve. This was the hardest thing to write. This story did not have a definite outline before I began, so it's really just...it takes a bit longer for me to figure out what happens next. I'm so sorry, and hopefully the chapter is worth the wait. Thanks to everyone who has written me asking for an update; you've finally guilted me into it! I'll have you know there are about three other rather important things I should be doing right now, but I am putting them aside to write this chapter! Now...enough of the long author's note...on to the story...**

**Wait, one more thing. Sorry. Word of warning. Discussion of abortion in this chapter. I am not trying to give personal opinions on this subject, I am trying to approach the subject the way the characters would. I'm really sorry in advance if it offends anyone.**

Patrick fell back against the door, letting the heavy oak support his weight because he didn't trust his legs for the job. He didn't say anything for a long time, and, for once, Kat was silent as well. The whole situation felt like a dream. Or a really cheesy teen drama.

After what seemed like an eternity, Patrick's mind finally started working again. Sort of. The first thing he thought to say was, "Are...are you keeping it?" He couldn't quite read the expression on Kat's face as he said it, but he was kicking himself for saying it anyway. After a small beat, they both started talking at the same time, arguing passionately and loudly like only they could.

"I know what you're going to say, 'It's my body my choice', or something like that-"

"How could you even suggest something-"

"-But the kid's half mine, right?"

"-No matter what happens I could never do...that..."

"I should get a say in it too, and I can't let you get rid of..."

They were so busy talking over each other that it took them a minute to realize they were both on the same side of the argument.

"Hang on," Kat said, "You don't want me to get rid of it?"

"No!" Patrick almost growled. Kat shot him a look and he added in a softer tone, "My mom..." he cleared his throat and started again, avoiding Kat's gaze. "Before she had me, when she was in high school, my mom got pregnant. She had an abortion. She always said it was the worst day of her life."

"So...why'd you ask me if I was keeping it?"

Patrick shrugged. "I thought that's what you'd want. I mean, you're a feminist and all that. I just assumed you were pro-choice."

"Well...I'm also a vegetarian. I can't even stand the thought of killing a fish, how could I stomach the thought of..." she couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Right," Patrick said, no more eager to continue down that line of thought. "So...point is, you're keeping the baby. Our..." now it was his turn to trail off.

Kat nodded, placing a hand on her stomach. She still couldn't believe this was happening. "We're having a baby," she whispered.

Patrick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He ran one hand through his hair, letting it fall gracelessly back to his side. "You dad is going to kill me."

Kat nodded. "Yes, he is."

**End Note: I try, I really try, to write longer chapters, but I just can't. But! I do know what the next chapter is going to be so *hopefully* that will mean a quicker update. :)**


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